Student-created program addresses mental health with speaker series

Therese Todd thought her father was yelling an order for two-by-four planks on the phone with a client at his hardware company as she sat between her brothers in the back of the minivan on the way to Disney World.

She realized several years later there was no client on the phone, and that her father had actually been hallucinating at the time. The incident was the result of a narcotic addiction that developed from medical problems that began when he was a teenager.

Todd, now a second-year psychology student and member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, began a forum within her chapter in January because she wanted to start a conversation in her sorority about mental health topics such as alcohol and substance abuse. The Health and Wellness Program aims to bring speakers every month into the sorority house.

“I don’t want people to feel like they can’t talk about (mental health) because it’s so real, it’s so prevalent, especially on college campuses,” Todd said.

Last month, a UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services representative spoke about mental health resources at the sorority, and UCLA psychology lecturer Adi Jaffe talked with members about safe alcohol consumption as part of the new program.

Jaffe, who received his doctorate from UCLA, said he struggled with substance abuse when he was an undergraduate student. Todd has worked with Jaffe for the past year as a research intern at an L.A. addiction treatment center called Alternatives Addiction Treatment, which Jaffe co-founded.

In his discussion with the sorority members, he emphasized mindful interaction with alcohol instead of solely educating on abstinence.

“(Alcohol consumption) is a difficult topic to talk about even in a college, where you know everyone participates,” Jaffe said.

Jaffe said he thinks Todd’s way of interacting with heavy topics such as alcohol use is innovative because she tries to make it lighthearted.

“I think Therese really clicked with the overall idea of not using forceful shame to change people’s behavior but instead using emphasis on understanding,” he said.

Ron Shemtov, a fourth-year psychology student who has volunteered at Alternatives Addiction Treatment since fall quarter, said that although Todd is a younger student, she helped him learn about different research tools that the clinic uses when he started working there.

“She helped me transition into the clinic,” Shemtov said.

Todd said she wants to become an addiction counselor after college because of her experience watching how her father’s substance abuse caused tension among her family members.

Todd said her father’s addiction began with prescription narcotics for pain after surgeries to remove two forms of cancer, and exploratory back surgery. His addiction was hard for her to understand because she saw him survive multiple life-threatening illnesses and put himself at risk again through his narcotic abuse, she said.

“The reason I want to work in that field is I grew up around people that suffered with addiction, and I saw how much it took away from their quality of life and ability to be the whole person they wanted to be,” she said.

Todd said she hopes to help at least one person, and one family, with the debilitating effects of substance abuse.

Jeannine Mizell, Todd’s mother, said her daughter always approaches the topic of substance abuse with optimism, and she thinks Todd’s optimism makes her well-suited to counseling.

“It takes a special person to do that kind of work. I think you have to have a very optimistic attitude and a lot of patience. It’s a tough job and I’m very proud that she wants to take that path,” Mizell said. “She’s willing to care about her clients.”

Todd said she plans to bring Smart Recovery meetings to the UCLA campus by spring to provide a recovery program that emphasizes discussion and coping mechanisms for addiction. Smart Recovery is an addiction treatment program that is an alternative to 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

She said she hopes these meetings can stop problems before they start, such as frequent drinking, and create a space where people can discuss alcohol abuse without being labeled alcoholics.